KGNU - How On Earth

David Sumpter’s new book is Soccermatics–Mathematical Adventures in the Beautiful Game.  It’s about how the mathematical patterns of how to win at soccer — and much much more — like how a math algorithm of how a slime mold seeks out food can help engineers design an efficient subway system.  The math that helps a soccer team win can also help a business team succeed.  . . . and in this special summer pledge drive show, it’s also a chance to hear about KGNU Community Radio and how you can make a difference by making it happen. Hosts: Shelley Schlender & Maeve Conran Producer: Shelley Schlender Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

Front Cover of The Carbon Farming Solution The Carbon Farming Solution – (Starts 2:13) Carbon Sequestration is the act of removing carbon from the air and putting it . . . somewhere else.  Kendra Krueger talks with author Eric Tunesmeier about his book, The Carbon Farming Solution, with surprising information such as how driving to a remote organic farm stand can cause more carbon pollution than getting groceries at a close-to-home supermarket.  However, done correctly, including thinking through how to get food to people who need it, Tunesmeier says carbon farming could sequester hundreds of billions of metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere . . .  with plants. Artificial Light at Night Light Pollution –  (Starts 17:36) Over one third of all the people on earth live with such extensive light pollution, they can’t even see the Milky Way at night.  That’s according to an updated world “light pollution” atlas.  Shelley Schlender talks with NOAA scientist Chris Elveidge about NOAA’s “Earth at Night” maps and “The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness and the artificial Sky.” Hosts: Kendra Krueger & Shelley Schlender Producer: Kendra Krueger Engineer: Kendra Krueger Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

An example of the ‘glass house’Beth interviews Dr Sarah Spaulding, of the Institute for Arctic and Alpine Research here in Boulder. Sarah studies microscopic single celled algae, creatures that photosynthesize but aren’t plants. She discusses their ecological roles in numerous ecosystems as well as challenges in identifying them and her long term goals in studying these elusive but ubiquitous creatures. See more at https://westerndiatoms.colorado.edu/ Host: Beth Bennett Producer: Beth Bennett Engineer: Maeve Conran Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

Cell Phones & Cancer  (Starts 1:00) A $25 million study reports cell phone radiation boosted brain cancer in rats . . . and rats exposed to radiation lived longer.  Frank Barnes, CU-Boulder Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, explains these paradoxical findings and implications for people.  (Related stories — 2011 Cell Phone Radiation and 2014 An Electric Silent Spring) chronic pain – courtesy wiki Narcotics Prolong Chronic Pain (Starts 11:35)   CU-Boulder neuroscientist Peter Grace explains his team’s new findings about how and why morphine can prolong chronic pain.   Rats with induced nerve pain received morphine for 5 days; their pain lasted nearly three months — twice as long as the nerve pain for rats that got no morphine.  This is one of the first studies to test long-term effects of treating chronic pain with opioid painkillers.  (Related story: KGNU call-in show on the opioid addiction epidemic) Host/Producer/Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

Photo credit: Susan Moran Microbes and Stress Resilience (starts 5:13) If you’re worried that some dirt still clings to your skin under your fingernails after planting or weeding in the garden, fear not. In fact, the more you feel and even breathe its fumes, the better, research suggests. As part of our series called “Our Microbes, Ourselves,” we explore today a newly published study that adds to a growing body of research into the benefits of certain soil and gut microbes on our mental and physical health. Dr. Christopher Lowry, an associate professor of integrative physiology at the University of Colorado-Boulder, discusses with host Susan Moran the study, which he led. It shows that a common soil bacterium called M. vaccae can boost the immune system to help fight stress and inflammation. The research, published last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was conducted on mice, but the health implications for humans are far-reaching. Hosts: Joel Parker, Susan Moran Producer: Susan Moran Engineer: Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

2016 Illustration for Gold Lab Symposium ((Starts 00:00)) Today we speak with Larry Gold, founder of the GoldLab Symposium that brings scientists and thinkers from around the world to share their perspectives about health and healthcare.  The theme of this year’s symposium is: Standing Together—Health Care for Our Common Good Host / Producer / Engineer: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender

In this follow-up episode of our “Graduation Special” we talk with three more guests graduating with science Ph.D.’s from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  They join us to talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next: Carleigh Samson – Environmental Engineering Program Topic: Modeling Relationships between Climate, Source Water Quality and Disinfection Byproduct Formation and Speciation in Treated Drinking Water   Patrick Barbour – Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Topic: Property-Guided Synthesis of Tricyclic Indolines to Confront Antibiotic Resistance in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Greg Thompson – Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Topic: Advances in a Microphysics Parameterization to Predict Supercooled Liquid Water and Application to Aircraft Icing Host / Engineer : Shelley Schlender Producer : Joel Parker Executive Producer : Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

The graduation season is upon us and our guests in today’s show will be graduating with science Ph.D.’s from the University of Colorado in Boulder.  They join us to talk about their thesis research, their grad school experiences, and what they have planned next: Greg Salvesen – Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Topic: Rethinking Accretion Disks Around Black Holes   Jesse Nusbaumer – Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Topic: An Examination of Atmospheric River Moisture Transport and Hydrology Using an Isotope-enabled Climate Model Odessa Gomez – Environmental Engineering Program Topic: Characterizing Responses of Primary Biological Aerosols to Oxidative Atmospheric Conditions   Host / Producer / Engineer : Joel Parker Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

(Starting at 6:30) FLOWS bridges social justice and environmental issues. FLOWS provides leadership training opportunities, green job skills, and free energy and water upgrades while building partnerships between CU students and staff and community members.  They partner with and work primarily for low-income communities for water and energy conservation (the communities most in need of lower energy and water bills).  They joined us to talk about their new training program coming up this May.  Find out more about their program here . (Starting at 20:14)Michael Skirpan is a PhD candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Computer Science Department. He worked with a collaborative team to create a project called quantified self, an immersive data experience that debuted the last weekend in April.  Listen in to hear more about this half performance-half data experience and find out when it will be happening again here. Hosts:Kendra Krueger Producer: Kendra Krueger Engineer: Kendra KRueger Additional contributions: Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender Listen to the show:

((Starts 00:00)) We speak via Skype with Renowned English Ornithologist Tim Birkhead, about “The Most Perfect Thing.”  That’s the title of his new book.  It’s all about taking a scientific look inside, and outside, a bird’s egg. Host:  Shelley Schlender Producer:Shelley Schlender Engineer:Shelley Schlender Executive Producer: Shelley Schlender